Rheia (album)
Rheia | ||||
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Studio album by Oathbreaker | ||||
Released | September 30, 2016 | |||
Recorded | April 2016[1] | |||
Studio |
Atomic Garden Studio[1] (East Palo Alto, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 63:22 | |||
Label | Deathwish | |||
Producer | Jack Shirley, Oathbreaker | |||
Oathbreaker chronology | ||||
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Rheia is the third studio album by Belgian band Oathbreaker. The album was produced by Jack Shirley and released through independent record label Deathwish Inc. on September 30, 2016.[4] Oathbreaker toured internationally in support of Rheia from September until December with Skeletonwitch and Iron Reagan.[5] The title references Rhea, mother to the six principal Olympians in Greek mythology.
Reception
Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 76/100[6] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Exclaim! | 8/10[7] |
Pitchfork | 7.8/10[2] |
PopMatters | 6/10[8] |
Sputnikmusic | 3.8/5[9] |
Rheia was well received by music critics upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on five reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[6] Exclaim!'s Natalie Zina Walschots thought that the band has released "a vast and complex record that doesn't just react toward but actively embraces the aesthetics of doom and sludge."[7] Andy O'Conor of Pitchfork said of the album: "While still fairly beholden to black metal, Rheia shares a core ideal with Cobalt's Slow Forever and Deafheaven's New Bermuda: They broke out of black metal's stylistic confines, using it as a launching pad more than a set of totalitarian marching orders, and in the process became emotive, powerful metal albums."[2] PopMatters critic Chris Conaton described the record as "wonderful in terms of contrasting black metal fury with quieter moments," but thought that the songwriting lags behind the atmosphere."[8] Sputnikmusic staff critic Tristan Jones described the album as "a swan song," writing that the record "demonstrates the band’s evident progress instrumentally and vocally and [Jack] Shirley’s influence takes them to new heights, and chasmic lows."[9]
Accolades
Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
Treble[10] | US | The Top 50 Albums of 2016 | 50 |
Consequence of Sound[11] | US | The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2016 | 9 |
Terrorizer[12] | UK | Albums Of The Year 2016 | 3 |
Noisey[13] | US | The 100 Best Albums of 2016 | 20 |
Track listing
All music and lyrics written by Oathbreaker.[1]
- "10:56" – 2:11
- "Second Son of R." – 5:55
- "Being Able to Feel Nothing" – 7:08
- "Stay Here / Accroche-Moi" – 5:12
- "Needles in Your Skin" – 7:14
- "Immortals" – 8:52
- "I'm Sorry, This Is" – 4:14
- "Where I Live" – 7:01
- "Where I Leave" – 8:52
- "Begeerte" – 6:43
Personnel
Rheia personnel adapted from CD liner notes.[1]
Oathbreaker
- Lennart Bossu
- Ivo Debrabandere
- Gilles Demolder
- Caro Tanghe
Additional musicians
- Wim Coppers – drums on "Second Son of R.," "Being Able to Feel Nothing," "Needles in Your Skin" and "Where I Live"
- Treha Sektori – electronic arrangements on "I'm Sorry, This Is," "Where I Live" and "Where I Leave"
Production
- Jack Shirley – recording, producing, engineering, mixing and mastering
- Oathbreaker – production
Artwork
- Hemel – art direction
- Jeroen Mylle – photography
- We Became Aware – layout, design
References
- 1 2 3 4 Rheia (CD gatefold). Oathbreaker. Deathwish Inc. 2016. DW196.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Andy, O'Connor (October 4, 2016). "Oathbreaker: Rheia Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Kennelty, Greg (September 27, 2016). "Oathbreaker Is Streaming Its Blast-Heavy, Shoegazey New Album Rheia". Metal Injection. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- ↑ Gotrich, Lars (August 17, 2016). "Songs We Love: Oathbreaker, '10:56 / Second Son of R.'". NPR. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Kelly, Kim (September 26, 2016). "Oathbreaker's Game-Changing New Album, 'Rheia,' Will Rip Your Heart Out". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- 1 2 "Reviews for Rheia by Oathbreaker". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- 1 2 Walschots, Natalie Zina (September 28, 2016). "Oathbreaker: Rheia". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- 1 2 Conaton, Chris (October 19, 2016). "Oathbreaker: Rheia". PopMatters. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- 1 2 Jones, Tristan (October 2, 2016). "Review: Oathbreaker - Rheia". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- ↑ Treble Staff (December 7, 2016). "The Top 50 Albums of 2016". Treble. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Barry, Sean; Hadusek, Jon (November 29, 2016). "The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2016". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Whelan, Kez (December 8, 2016). "Albums Of The Year 2016". Terrorizer. Dark Arts Ltd. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Noisey Staff (December 6, 2016). "The 100 Best Albums of 2016". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved December 17, 2016.